Sunday, October 28, 2012

ONE OF THOSE DAYS!

I was originally
writing this blog for November 1st.However, I thought it might be more helpful for you to have
these suggestions a few days ahead!

My thoughts are with
you today! November 1st should be a holiday because after all the
trickin' and treatin' and sugar, it's a challenging day! My advice is
don't make yourself crazy trying to do too much today. Shut your door,
play outside, review skills, play games, sing songs, make a book, and take a
deep breath!

Here’s an “Emergency
Kit” for today (or any day when things get crazy)!

Whisper Day –
Make a “whisper only” sign for your door.Explain that you will only use a whisper voice all day long.Talk, read, sing, and do all activities
with a soft voice.

Turn off the
Lights – Something as simple as turning off the lights can reduce stress
and energy.You could also play
some quiet music as children enter the classroom.

Quiet Game –
One child is selected to be “it.”“It” stands in front of the room and says, “Mousie, mousie, how quiet
can you be?When I clap my hands
1, 2, 3 (slowly clap 3 times), we shall see!”“It” chooses the classmate who is being the quietest and
then that child comes to the front of the room and is the new “it.”(My class LOVED this game.It was a great way to develop self-regulation
and calm them down.)

Give Your Mouth a
Vacation – Challenge children to “give their mouths a vacation” and
practice breathing through their noses.Demonstrate how to slowly breath in on a count of 8 and then breath out
on a count of 8.Remind them breathing slowly in and out can help
them if they are angry.

Shake Down –
Children stand and shake their right hand 5 times as they count.Then shake the left hand 5 times.Shake the right foot 5 times.Shake the left foot 5 times.Next, shake body parts 4 times, then 3
times, then 2 times, then 1 time.Oh, yeah!

*Do this several
times using a softer voice each time until you are doing the silent version.

Use Your
Imagination – Ask the children to close their eyes as you read a
story.Challenge them to make
“pictures in their brains.”Give
them a sheet of paper to illustrate the story.

Scribble Designs –
Have children take a black crayon, close their eyes, and scribble on a sheet of
paper.Open their eyes.Can they fill in the whole page with
different colors and designs in each space?

Buddy Poem – Divide
students into groups of two.Demonstrate how to write the word “November” down the side of a sheet of
paper.Together they write an
acrostic poem by coming up with a word for each letter.

Silent Show and
Tell – Have children close their eyes as friends take turns talking about
what happened on Halloween night.(If you don’t do holidays, then friends can take turns telling jokes or
riddles.)

Make Rain

Hold up your palm as you say, “Let’s
make rain.Do what I do.”

Tap pointer finger on palm for several
seconds.

Tap pointer finger and middle finger.

Tap pointer, middle, and ring finger.

Tap pointer, middle, ring, and pinky on
palm.

Clap hands together loudly.

Clap hands and stomp feet and then reverse
the movements.

Clap hands.

Tap pointer, middle, ring, and pinky on
palm.

Tap pointer, middle, and ring finger.

Tap pointer and middle finger.

Tap pointer finger on palm.

Slowly bring palms together and put in your
lap.

*This will really sound like a rainstorm
is coming and going.Children will
want to do it again and again.Woe
be unto the child who does not cooperate with the group!